HCMC - The Immigration Office in HCMC has recently been overwhelmed as there are an average of 1,500 daily requests for new passports.

The number of residents flocking to the office has surged since July 1, with some 1,800 residents filing applications a day, almost twice the daily number earlier, according to statistics of the agency. One of the reasons is that immigration authorities ceased to issue passports from June 1 to July 1, pending the introduction of new passports with enhanced security features. Therefore, passport applicants last month had to wait until after July 1. In addition, many residents think that the newly designed passport contains an electronic chip, so they apply for renewal of their passports despite their current ones remain valid. Many households who wish to travel abroad during the summer also register for passports for their family members and children. To cope with the above situation, the Immigration Office in HCMC has doubled the number of reception desks from 7 to 15, operational from 7 a.m to 6 p.m, Monday to Friday, and Saturday mornings. The Immigration Office in HCMC has released the following guidance: Firstly, residents who hold old passports should continue using them until they expire and should not need to apply for a new one. Secondly, citizens do not need to change their passports when they change their old ID cards for a new chip-based ID card, except if a foreign embassy upon visa application requires it. Thirdly, those with a chip-based ID card are advised to make an online application for new passports at the national information portal htttps://dichvucong.gov.vn or the Ministry of Public Security portal https://dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn. Citizens could register for an account on their own, fill the information in full for passport issuance, pay fees online upon request by the officer receiving the application dossier and receive the newly-issued passport by post, if they opt for the service. If residents wish to file the application dossier in person, they can complete the online application for passport issuance at htttp://hochieu.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn and set the schedule for filing the application dossier to save time.